Waterlogging near the newly commissioned Kalyani Nagar Metro Station has sparked serious safety concerns as heavy monsoon rains submerged footpaths and entry points, forcing pedestrians to walk directly on the main road amid vehicular traffic. The incident, captured in photographs and shared widely on social media, highlights growing anxiety over inadequate urban drainage planning in Pune’s rapidly expanding metro zones.
On Saturday morning, the area around the station was rendered nearly impassable for those on foot. Commuters, schoolchildren, and elderly residents were seen navigating through knee-deep water or taking to the road, putting themselves in direct conflict with moving traffic. This ad hoc shift from designated pedestrian areas not only endangered lives but caused significant disruptions to traffic flow in one of the city’s busiest corridors.Local residents and daily metro users described the situation as both alarming and avoidable. “There was no place to step without getting soaked or being hit by a vehicle. A basic rain spell has made this infrastructure inaccessible,” said a resident of Kalyani Nagar, calling for urgent intervention from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and MahaMetro.
Beyond the immediate risk to pedestrians, the waterlogged conditions raised broader concerns around public health. With stagnant pools forming around the metro station’s perimeter, health officials fear the onset of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Medical practitioners in the area have echoed the concern, warning that if preventive steps aren’t taken now, the monsoon could trigger a spike in illnesses.Urban planning professionals argue that this incident underscores a chronic problem in Indian metro development — the disconnect between ambitious transportation infrastructure and the supporting civic ecosystem. “You cannot develop a high-capacity public transport hub and then ignore drainage and pedestrian design. It defeats the very idea of safe, accessible mobility,” said an urban infrastructure expert based in Pune.
In response to the public outcry, local citizen groups are now pushing for a structural review of all newly built metro stations in the city. Their demands include immediate desilting of stormwater drains, installation of efficient slope-based drainage systems, and clear pedestrian pathways that remain functional even during heavy rains. Activists have also urged civic officials to conduct an environmental audit of infrastructure projects before monsoon seasons begin.As climate variability increases and urban flooding becomes more frequent, the need for resilient infrastructure has never been more urgent. A metro station is meant to symbolise progress, yet for residents of Kalyani Nagar, it has now become a reminder of the consequences of incomplete planning.
While authorities have yet to issue a formal action plan, the voices on the ground are clear: development must be sustainable, inclusive, and prepared for weather extremes. Anything less would only compromise the safety and trust of the very public it is designed to serve.
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